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Opponents who have faced Ryan in debates in the past touted the candidate's abilities. | AP Photo

Spottswood took up a common Democratic refrain — that Ryan isn’t telling the truth and can’t be trusted.

“I would say he should not — not just the vice president, but the average person watching this — shouldn’t assume that if Ryan said it that it’s factual. And it shouldn’t be ignored when it’s not factual. It’s necessary for him to be confronted and knocked back,” Spottswood said.

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This week, Ryan’s campaign — and Ryan himself — are working hard to tamp down expectations for the congressman’s performance on Thursday night.

During an unannounced stop at an ice cream shop here, Ryan said his debate preparations went “well” and that the vice president’s greatest weakness is “Barack Obama’s record.”

“Look, Joe Biden has been on this stage before. He has been on these big stages. This is my first time. But what he can’t run from is President Obama’s indefensible record. They are just offering more of the same. I am excited because we have a chance yet again to offer this country a very clear choice,” Ryan said.

A Ryan aide argued earlier that there was “no doubt” that Ryan came to the debate stage as an underdog.

“He’s never really done a debate like this on the national stage,” Ryan spokesman Michael Steel said. “By contrast, the aide argued, Biden has run for president twice and was “the front-runner for the Democratic nomination when Paul Ryan was in high school.”

Steel argued that debating congressional candidates — who Ryan typically has defeated by large margins — isn’t the same as verbal jousting with the vice president on the national stage.

“There’s nothing like the intensity or the experience of a live nationally televised one-on-one debate. He’s done big things. He’s debated congressional opponents. He’s done televised responses to the president’s State of the Union, but there’s nothing that compares to this kind of” experience, Steel said.

Ryan arrived on Tuesday here in Florida, keeping a light public schedule and focusing his time instead on debate prep and policy briefings.

Ted Olson — the attorney who has served as stand-in for Biden during debate prep — made the trip as well, leaving Florida separate from the campaign early Wednesday morning. Other campaign advisers present for the most recent round of debate prep included senior Romney advisers Ed Gillespie, Gail Gitcho, Russ Schriefer and Kerry Healey, the former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, who stood in for ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, who will moderate Thursday’s face-off.

There is no doubt that Ryan is an accomplished spokesperson. He hasn't had ANY debate at this level of importance in the past. And Biden has done Presidential debates numerous times (not just as VP, but also as a candidate for President). So they are equally matched in all likelihood. And Bidn has NEVER been known to "gaffe" during a debate.

"If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen." President Obama, 7/16/12

Well, I know my business didn’t build the huge new bridge that is just now being completed a couple blocks from here. But, I know my employees and I use that bridge every single day, several times a day.

Which brings me to what Paul Ryan recently said:

“And the moral tipping point is before too long we could become a society that we were never ever intended to be. We could become a society where the net majority of Americans are takers not makers. Today 70 percent of Americans get more benefits from the federal government in dollar value than they pay back in taxes. So you could argue that we're already past that tipping point.”

- Paul Ryan

It is clear that anyone on this side of that bridge who does business with people on the other side of that bridge would have to pay a toll to cross that bridge, if it were owned by a private corporation instead of we the people.

Therefore, because I get to use that bridge for free every day, several times a day, it can reasonably be said that I get far more benefit in dollar value from that bridge than I pay back in taxes.

I understand that Paul Ryan therefore thinks I, along with every other business on either side of that bridge, are “takers” sending America over a “moral tipping point”.

I think Paul Ryan is a deceitful manipulator out to help consolidate power into the hands of a very few people.

"He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama," said Barbara Doherty, the mother of the slain Navy Seal Glen Doherty.

"He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama," said Barbara Doherty, the mother of the slain Navy Seal Glen Doherty.

"He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama," said Barbara Doherty, the mother of the slain Navy Seal Glen Doherty.

"He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama," said Barbara Doherty, the mother of the slain Navy Seal Glen Doherty.

Who cares about Ryan's debate skills. Biden's job is to hold Ryan to a level of truth telling Obama failed to do with Romney. FACT is, Ryan voted for some things he criticizes Obama for. That will be Biden's job. If you don't like stimulus, why did you vote for Bush stimulus? If you don't like green energy spending, why did you ask for some in your district? If you don't want defense cuts, why did you vote for sequestration?

And when Ryan tries to spin, give that good ole Joe Biden 'who am I supposed to believe, you or my lyin' eyes' look.

Oh.....and Biden should cede some of his time so Ryan can finally educated the poor ignorant masses about the magical math in Romney's tax plan. Followed by a hearty Joe Biden laugh.

He needs to explain his continued deception about how he didn't take part in the debt increase: it is and always will Congress's fault (refer to who controls the budget/Tax in the US Constitution)..not Executive brand or the Supreme Court.

http://www.cbsnews.com/...

With no fanfare and little notice, the national debt has grown by more than $4 trillion during George W. Bush's presidency.

It's the biggest increase under any president in U.S history.

On the day President Bush took office, the national debt stood at $5.727 trillion. The latest number from the Treasury Department shows the national debt now stands at more than $9.849 trillion. That's a 71.9 percent increase on Mr. Bush's watch.

** The hypocritcal Paul Ryan voted in lock step in his career as a politician, and never voted against a GOP debt limit.

Note: Anti-Christian Ayn Rand works are manifested in Ryan political ideology/bills.

Debate predication: With his Ryan eyes he will spew non-truths,double speak, or mislead America. Fox News will proclaim the GOP winner on style again, unless the VP calls out Ryan his hypocrisy.

If he doesn't repeat the keywords government, American people, children's future, and a down to earth a shucks story, then he will be off the GOP script.

Just like Romney when people look up what he was trying to say, he will be caught and then they walk in back in a press release..ideally on late Friday's/Saturday morning.

Politico. Your bias is showing, yet again. Biden can be pretty slick, much like Clinton, but too often, of late, he has been slipping up. I am sure he will continue to carry the mantra of the Democratic party which is “Class Warfare.” Success, Independence and Achievement are their enemies. Dependency is their friend. Democrats have created a whole class of 'entitlement dependent' people in order to establish a loyal voting base. Republicans favor the private sector and small businesses which are the job creators and innovators.

There is a YouTube video circulating called "Voices Without a Vote". What some young people accomplish never ceases to amaze me. Take time to watch it. You will be as surprised as I was.

Ron Paul supporters need to do some serious soul searching. If they insist on making a statement, and split the Conservative vote, they could be a deciding factor in the outcome of the next election. While Romney may not push forward the libertarian agenda as far, fast or forcefully as Ron Paul, Obama would definitely move their agenda backwards?

I am so stoked over this debate tonight. It's obvious the democrats don't have any confidence in Joe Biden. It is scary this bombastic old fool is a heartbeat away from the presidency. But on the bright side it couldn't get any worse than having Obama in the White House.

Biden's task will be to trip Ryan up, to shake him, make him angry. But I doubt that Biden will get any help from Raddoz. The wide publication of her links to Obama have pretty much effectively kneecapped her. She'll probably be a replay of Lehrer: stand aside and let the two debaters go at one another.

Biden is in danger of tripping himself up, because Ryan, a very self-confident and disciplined person, is not likely to take Biden's bait. And a frustrated Biden is liable to make a gaffe.